Unutterable
Jump to: Webster'sConcordanceThesaurusGreekLibrarySubtopicsTerms
Topical Encyclopedia
The term "unutterable" refers to that which cannot be expressed in words due to its profound, ineffable nature. In the context of the Bible, it often pertains to the divine mysteries and experiences that transcend human understanding and language.

Biblical References:

1. 2 Corinthians 12:4 : The Apostle Paul recounts a vision of paradise, stating, "was caught up into Paradise. The things he heard were too sacred for words, things that man is not permitted to tell." This passage highlights the unutterable nature of divine revelations, suggesting that certain spiritual experiences are beyond human articulation and are reserved for the divine realm.

2. Romans 8:26 : "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words." Here, the Apostle Paul describes the Holy Spirit's intercession as unutterable groanings, indicating that the Spirit communicates with God in a manner that surpasses human language, reflecting the depth and intensity of divine communication.

Theological Implications:

The concept of the unutterable underscores the limitations of human language and understanding when it comes to the divine. It suggests that God's nature and the spiritual realities of His kingdom are so profound that they cannot be fully captured by human expression. This aligns with the biblical theme of God's transcendence, where His thoughts and ways are higher than those of humans (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Mystical Experiences:

Throughout Christian history, mystics and theologians have often described encounters with God as unutterable. These experiences are characterized by a deep sense of awe and wonder, where the individual is overwhelmed by the presence of God, leading to a realization that words are insufficient to convey the depth of the encounter.

Practical Application:

For believers, the notion of the unutterable serves as a reminder of the mystery and majesty of God. It encourages humility, recognizing that human understanding is limited and that faith often involves trusting in the unseen and the incomprehensible. It also invites believers to rely on the Holy Spirit, who intercedes and communicates with God on their behalf in ways that transcend human capability.

Conclusion:

The unutterable aspects of divine revelation and spiritual experience invite believers to a deeper reverence for God and a recognition of the limitations of human language in expressing the fullness of His glory and majesty.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(a.) Incapable of being spoken or voiced; inexpressible; ineffable; unspeakable; as, unutterable anguish.
Greek
215. alaletos -- inexpressible
... inexpressible. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: alaletos Phonetic Spelling:
(al-al'-ay-tos) Short Definition: unutterable, that baffles words ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/215.htm - 6k

412. aneklaletos -- unspeakable
... inexpressible. From a (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of eklaleo;
not spoken out, ie (by implication) unutterable -- unspeakable. see GREEK a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/412.htm - 7k

Library

On the Unutterable Heart-Rending Grief of the Pure Queen of Heaven ...
... PART THE FIRST. CHAPTER XVII. On The Unutterable Heart-Rending Grief of
The Pure Queen of Heaven. The Servant."Who will give my ...
/.../suso/a little book of eternal wisdom/chapter xvii on the unutterable.htm

Concerning Things Utterable and Things Unutterable, and Things ...
... An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith. Book I. Chapter II."Concerning things
utterable and things unutterable, and things knowable and thing unknowable. ...
/.../exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter ii concerning things utterable and.htm

To My Fellow Presbyter, Timothy, Dionysius the Presbyter.
... man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit-moved power of the Theologians,
by aid of which we are brought into contact with things unutterable and unknown ...
/.../dionysius/dionysis on divine names/caput i to my fellow.htm

Letter ix. To Titus, Hierarch, Asking by Letter what is the House ...
... For they give a colour of incongruity dreadful to the uninitiated souls, when the
Fathers of the unutterable wisdom explain the Divine and Mystical Truth ...
/.../dionysius/letters of dionysius the areopagite/letter ix to titus hierarch.htm

Concerning Common and Distinctive Theology, and what is the Divine ...
... elsewhere, the sacred instructors of our theological tradition call the "Divine
Unions" the hidden and unrevealed sublimities of the super-unutterable and super ...
/.../dionysius/dionysis on divine names/caput ii concerning common and.htm

Concerning Wisdom, Mind, Reason, Truth, Faith.
... Thus, the Oracles declare, the All-luminous Light, invisible, and Him, Who is often
sung, and of many names, to be unutterable and without name, and Him, Who ...
/.../dionysius/dionysis on divine names/caput vii concerning wisdom mind.htm

Anschar, Apostle of the North.
... the East, and praised with songs of thanksgiving Him who appeared in the East, and
their accordant praises filled the souls of the hearers with unutterable joy ...
/.../neander/light in the dark places/anschar apostle of the north.htm

Their Contradictions.
... of honourable conduct, teach the perpetration of lasciviousness, and fornication,
and adultery; and did they not introduce hateful and unutterable wickedness? ...
/.../theophilus/theophilus to autolycus/chapter iii their contradictions.htm

God Cannot be Embraced in Words or by the Mind.
... statements the apostle will testify: "I know a man in Christ, caught up into the
third heaven, and thence into Paradise, who heard unutterable words which it ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xii god cannot be embraced.htm

October the Thirty-First Two Great Mysteries
... OCTOBER The Thirty-first TWO GREAT MYSTERIES. PSALM lxxxi. This is an
unutterable mystery, that a man can close his life against God. ...
/.../october the thirty-first two great.htm

Thesaurus
Unutterable (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Incapable of being spoken or voiced; inexpressible;
ineffable; unspeakable; as, unutterable anguish. ...Unutterable (3 Occurrences). ...
/u/unutterable.htm - 7k

Unuttered (1 Occurrence)

/u/unuttered.htm - 6k

Unspeakable (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Incapable of being adequately described;
inexpressibly bad; unutterable; as, unspeakable grief or rage. ...
/u/unspeakable.htm - 8k

Unusually (1 Occurrence)

/u/unusually.htm - 6k

Groans (9 Occurrences)
... for, what we may pray for, as it behoveth 'us', we have not known, but the Spirit
himself doth make intercession for us with groanings unutterable, (See NIV). ...
/g/groans.htm - 8k

Intercedes (3 Occurrences)
... for, what we may pray for, as it behoveth 'us', we have not known, but the Spirit
himself doth make intercession for us with groanings unutterable, (See NAS ...
/i/intercedes.htm - 7k

Inexpressible (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Ineffable; unspeakable; indescribable; unutterable;
as, inexpressible grief or pleasure. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/i/inexpressible.htm - 7k

Rehoboth (4 Occurrences)
... Now it is a perfect field of ruins, a scene of unutterable desolation, across which
the passing stranger can with difficulty find his way." Huntington ...
/r/rehoboth.htm - 10k

Behoveth (75 Occurrences)
... for, what we may pray for, as it behoveth 'us', we have not known, but the Spirit
himself doth make intercession for us with groanings unutterable, (YLT). ...
/b/behoveth.htm - 27k

Possible (133 Occurrences)
... (BBE). 2 Corinthians 12:4 that he was caught away to the paradise, and heard
unutterable sayings, that it is not possible for man to speak. (YLT). ...
/p/possible.htm - 36k

Resources
Unutterable: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Unutterable (3 Occurrences)

Romans 8:26
And, in like manner also, the Spirit doth help our weaknesses; for, what we may pray for, as it behoveth 'us', we have not known, but the Spirit himself doth make intercession for us with groanings unutterable,
(YLT)

2 Corinthians 12:4
that he was caught away to the paradise, and heard unutterable sayings, that it is not possible for man to speak.
(YLT)

1 Peter 1:8
whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don't see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory-
(See RSV)

Subtopics

Unutterable

Related Terms

Unveiling (5 Occurrences)

Unvailed (1 Occurrence)

Unutterable (3 Occurrences)

Proclamation (31 Occurrences)

Periods (8 Occurrences)

Spreading (74 Occurrences)

Past (200 Occurrences)

Ages (114 Occurrences)

Declared (261 Occurrences)

Strong (736 Occurrences)

Harmony (21 Occurrences)

Unusually
Top of Page
Top of Page